ntlog 0.2

Author:

Ken Kundert

Version:

0.2

Released:

2023-04-10

ntLog is a simple command line utility used to append discretely generated log files into a running log formulated as a NestedText file. You can specify limits on how many log entries there are or how old they should be. Any entries that do not satisfy the limits are purged.

A discrete log file is a log file generated by program that runs at regular intervals or after particular events. This contrast from log files generated by continuously running programs such as daemons. With discretely running programs a existing log file will be overwritten on the next run. By using ntLog you can add the most recently generated log file to a running log that will not be overwritten.

Usage:

    ntlog [options] <logfile>

Options:

    -k, --keep-for [days]    drop entries older than this [default: 7]
    -n, --max-entries [N]    maximum number of log entries to keep
    -N, --min-entries [N]    minimum number of log entries to keep [default: 1]
    -d, --delete             delete given logfile after incorporating it
    -h, --help               print this usage message

When run, ntLog copies the contents of <logfile> into <logfile>.nt.

Log entries older than --keep-for days are deleted. If units are not specified, --keep-for is given in days. However you can directly specify the units in terms of seconds (s, sec, second, seconds), minutes (m, min, minute, minutes), hours (h, hr, hour, hours), days (d, day, days), weeks (w, W, week, weeks), months (M, month, months), and years (y, Y, year, years).

If the number of entries exceeds --max-entries, the oldest entries are deleted even if they are younger than the --keep-for limit.

If --delete is specified, the given log file is deleted after its contents are incorporated into the running log file.

The key used when filing log entries into the NestedText document is the timestamp of the modification time of the given log file.

The given log file is always kept, even if it is older than the --keep-for limit.

Log entries are sorted from most recent to oldest, with the most recent at the top of the NestedText file. The one exception to this rule is that the given log file is always listed first, even if its modification time is older than existing log entries.

pip install ntlog